The Boston Bruins are preparing for two possible paths ahead of the March 7 trade deadline, team president Cam Neely said Wednesday.
“Right now, I don’t really have that appetite (for a rebuild or retool) but like I told our (general manager) and the staff – we have our meetings coming up here in a little bit – we do have to prepare for two paths,” Neely said.
“Obviously, the one path is that we’re buyers and we feel good about our team, but the other path is, maybe, somewhat of a retool. But we’re not focusing on that right now, we’re focussing on trying to get our team to be in a better place.”
The Bruins hold the first wild-card spot in the Eastern Conference with a 22-19-5 record.
Their playoff position remains uncertain. The Tampa Bay Lightning have the same number of points (49) but four games in hand.
Eastern Conference Wild Card Race
- Boston Bruins: 49 points (46 games played)
- Columbus Blue Jackets: 48 points (44 GP)
- Ottawa Senators: 47 points (43 GP)
- Montreal Canadiens: 46 points (43 GP)
- Detroit Red Wings: 44 points (43 GP)
“We still feel like we’ve got a playoff team here, and we certainly don’t want to jeopardize getting out of the playoffs because we made some moves that may be good for the future but not good for the present,” Neely said.
The Bruins have faced several challenges this season, including a coaching change and goaltender Jeremy Swayman’s contract negotiations before the season.
“This year’s been a little frustrating because we honestly felt, coming out of the offseason, that we had a better team than what we’ve showed on the ice,” Neely said. “Maybe that’s a product of us overvaluing what we have, or just the start that we had was not expected, to be honest with you.”
The team has made the playoffs for eight consecutive seasons, setting high expectations among fans.
Bruins CEO Charlie Jacobs expressed confidence in Neely and general manager Don Sweeney.
“I have faith that they’ll make the right decisions,” Jacobs said. “I don’t have the playbook for that. I have faith that they will make those decisions, though.”
Boston has won its last two games after a six-game losing streak. They face the Ottawa Senators Saturday at 3 p.m. ET.
